whose responsibility?

Question

is it to clean the snow and ice from the walk? I live in an apartment building that is part of three other bulidings my landlord owns. The landlord never puts down salt or shovels the sidewalks. There are alot of young families like mine with kids. We have to carry babies and toddlers over ice and try to balance car seats and groceries without falling. The few men who live in the buildings have tried to shovel, but without 10 or more bags of salt, nothing could be accomplished. The buildings sit very far back from the street, and therefore the paths are long and have several sets of steep stairs. Is it my landlord's responsibility to clean the paths or mine and the other renters? If it is his responsibility how can I get him to take care of it? If it is my responsibliity any ideas on how to remove the layers of ice and snow without hours of back-breaking work?

Answer 1

You really should check with your local government. If you live in a city, you might be able to find an answer through a police non-emergency line. Otherwise you might want to stop by your local City Hall and ask. Many municipalities require building owners to insure that their walks are safe, and in your case, it doesn't even sound like all exterior sidewalks. Most building owners are required to keep safe conditions on their property.

In some cases, the city is required to maintain the safety of its sidewalks. Unless you live in a nicely maintained city with money to do that, in an area they care about, good luck with that. But a call to a local agency might alert them to the fact your sidewalks aren't safe, and if they are responsible for it, that might get them going.

I suspect that in your case, it's your building owner shirking his responsibility. He deserves a lawsuit, but that would mean someone would have to be hurt by his negligence, so nobody really wants that. A warning or citation from a city agency might be just the thing instead, so see if you're in that position. And the more people you have behind you, the better.

If it turns out you guys have to take care of it, maybe you should use sand. Then he'd have to deal with the mess left over, and that might inspire him to get off his duff and maintain the property where you pay to live. Metaphorically showing him he's a dirtbag, as it were. ;)

Good luck, and be safe!

Answer 2

Try the police dept,

most towns require land owners to clear sidewalks

A good lawsuit will clear the problem

Answer 3

i would guess it is your responsibility, your landlord is probably scaredof a lawsuit if he attempts to clear the ice does not succeede then someone falls they would sue his *** big style!! purchase a large blowtorch similar to the type used for ashphalting this will melt the ice in minutes

Answer 4

It is not the landlords responsibility unless specified in lease. Sorry for your inconvenience - lesson learned in leasing in snowy areas.